Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive, fatal neurological disorder, claiming 15 lives a day.
Grey’s Anatomy actor Eric Dane died earlier this year from the disease. It’s also taken the lives of Roberta Flack and former Steeler Tunch Ilkin.
There is no cure for ALS, but one Pittsburgh man has developed a way to give patients back their voice by harnessing cutting-edge technology
David Betts is an avid cyclist. He trains along Pittsburgh’s riverfront for races that have taken him all over the globe.
But two years ago, his muscles began twitching. He had trouble with his pedals. Then his voice began to change.
“I knew something was definitely wrong,” Betts said.
Betts suspected he might have ALS. Multiple doctors told him it was nothing — until he pressed one specialist.
“If you have a suspicion, I just need you to say ‘yes,” he told the neurologist. “I have a suspicion, and you’re not going to scare me because I’m already terrified,” Betts said.
It was ALS.
The average life expectancy of someone diagnosed with ALS is two to five years.
“For someone who’s an athlete who likes to ride my bike, it’s going to take away my ability to ride my bike,” Betts said.
“It’s gonna take away a lot more than that. It will take away my abilities to eat, to speak, and ultimately to breathe. But I can’t let that paralyze me before it happens. “I’m somebody who processes the world out loud, so I became fixated on what people do when they when they lose the ability to speak. I thought, let’s just start solving problems. “
Betts started by studying what was already available.
“I remember Stephen Hawking and the robotic voice, and I didn’t want to sound that way.”
Hawking was a world-renowned physicist who utilized a voice computer to communicate after ALS robbed him of his voice.
Betts also investigated computers driven by a user’s eye gaze, but each word took forever to form, losing the feel of authentic, human speech. That’s when he turned to artificial intelligence for a solution.
“I figured if we could make a deepfake video of Tom Cruise and everybody thought it was real, we had to have something better.”
Betts worked with a voice technology company.
“With as little as 45 seconds of recorded audio, they can create an artificial intelligence voice clone model of one’s voice. You can use recorded audio from voicemails or home video.”
An AI “assistant” eliminates unnatural pauses between words.
Betts released the app for download on smartphones and computers. He called it “Talk to Me Goose.” It’s a nod to the 1980’s movie Top Gun starring, in this case, the real Tom Cruise.
“‘Talk to me, Goose,’ is an iconic line from that film but every time Maverick needs help that’s what he says,” said Betts.
Elizabeth Stricker and her husband, Darin, found “Talk to Me Goose” and downloaded the app after Darin was diagnosed with ALS. The Strickers used the app to clone Darin’s voice and give him the chance to tell bedtime stories to his two young daughters.
“I couldn’t believe how much it sounded like him,” said Elizabeth. “I mean, we all just were bawling. It was a really big deal.”
For David Betts, it’s a chance for people to reclaim their identity by “restoring” their voice.
“It’s like a fingerprint in some cases. It’s part of who you are.”
For now, David plans to advocate for more ALS research. And he plans to keep pushing his limits.
“I will keep riding my bike for as long as I’m able. One day I’m sure I won’t be able to do that, but that’s not today.”
Betts says so far, 1,000 people worldwide have downloaded the “Talk to me Goose” app.
It’s free for patients and their families through the “Live Like Lou” foundation.
Additional resources:
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
